P&L Show and Tell with the Fernseed

Join the City of Tacoma’s Community and Economic Development Department for P&L Show & Tell with Katherine Raz, owner of The Fernseed. In this practical workshop, Katherine will walk attendees through the real financial story of operating an independent storefront business: what comes in, where the money goes, and what business owners need to understand to make informed decisions about growth, staffing, leasing, and long-term sustainability. Katherine founded The Fernseed in 2019 and brings both lived business experience and a broader lens on small business realities through her writing and organizing work.

This session is designed to move beyond surface-level advice and offer a more honest look at the numbers behind a small business. Attendees will hear directly from Katherine about her business journey, how her model has evolved over time, and how financial understanding can help owners better navigate challenges like thin margins, labor costs, capital needs, and commercial space decisions. Her work has also emphasized the connection between storefront business realities, corridor health, and property ownership pressures in Tacoma.

In this workshop, attendees will explore:

• What a profit and loss statement can reveal about the health of a business
• How revenue, costs, and margins affect day-to-day operations
• The financial realities behind staffing, pricing, and paying yourself
• How business owners can use financial understanding to make stronger decisions over time

Come ready to learn, reflect, and hear a candid conversation about what running a small business really looks like.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher Tacoma Minority Business Development Agency